


Teeth

by Agent00N0 (infiniteOddity)



Category: GTA V RP, TwitchRP
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/M, Gen, Teeth Falling Out, Temporary Character Death, Twitch RP (Grand Theft Auto), dropouts is the weirdest mix of people, everyone just freaking out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:06:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23680525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infiniteOddity/pseuds/Agent00N0
Summary: Easton is a vampire hunter leading the weirdest mix of humans and vamps and creatures and a lot of people don't like that.Which means that Dropouts members get targeted.------------The start of a Dropouts Vampire AU. Joey Driver is an easy target to get turned into a vamp and damn was that a bad idea.
Relationships: Edward Cross/Verity St. James





	Teeth

**Author's Note:**

> This may turn into something bigger. I have a lot of lore in my head that I sometimes forget to translate, but it's there.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. 

  


They were supposed to look out for each other - that was the whole point of having a gang - but of course something had to go wrong. 

  


They'd been sent coordinates and nothing else. 

  


The last thing any of them wanted to see was Baby -  _ Joey _ \- bloody and battered and tucked neatly behind a dumpster. They'd almost thought they'd been faked out, but the scent of blood had June sniffing out his hiding spot. 

  


From there, it was a race against time. Verity sped through the streets with Joey draped across her back seat, June and Cross desperately trying to treat his wounds with their limited supplies. 

  


It's only as they're wiping the blood away that they realize that there are no wounds or that the wounds that were there had already closed. 

  


" _ Fuck," _ June's hissing and pulling her hands away in surprise.

  


"Verity, go faster. This is bad, you can't be here when he wakes up." Cross is clutching at the back of the seat, leaving bloody fingerprints everywhere he touches. 

  


"What are you talking about?" It takes everything in her not to turn around and yell at her husband, her heart roaring as she weaves in between the other cars on the road.

  


"Someone thought it would be funny to take a bite out of Baby and leave him." Cross grumbles as he turns Joey's head to find the telltale ragged puncture marks he was hoping wouldn't be there.

  


~~**~~

  


They make it back to the safehouse long before the sun, but none of them are sure how much longer Joey will be out. June's piling out of the car first, pulling Joey with her and carrying him towards the house. "I'm gonna get his dumb ass in bed and then I'm calling Eddie."

  


June rolls her eyes at Cross grabbing Joey's wrist and breathing in deeply. "Tell him to send double. They drained him dry."

  


"I know,  _ dad. _ I was going to already. I was EMS for a week, too." June grumbles and turns her back on the car to bring Joey inside. 

  


Cross deflates, still crouched down in the footwell of the backseat. Verity's thin fingers reaching back to squeeze his shoulder catches him off guard, but it's enough to have him looking up at her and she can see just how worn he's starting to look. "He's alive," she tells him. "Well, sort of alive. The kind of dead that we can handle at least."

  


"You're right. It's better than the alternative." Cross climbs out of the backseat and walks around so he can lean in the driver side window. "Get out of here, please. And try to tell Easton what happened. Don't want him coming back excited and filling Baby with wood."

  


"Was already planning on it." Verity's fingers tap across the steering wheel, still pale from how tight she'd been gripping it. "Call me when he wakes up? If he remembers anything I can put the old press pass to work and ask around."

  


"Uh huh. Stay safe?" Cross goes to disappear into the safe house as well, but his hand is caught before he can go.

  


"I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you. Don't let Baby rough you up too much." And then Verity's pulling him through the window so she can kiss him. "That's for luck. Now go help."

  


~~**~~

  


As soon as her window is up and she's around the corner, Verity parks the car and finally takes a few shuddering breaths. Even with her human senses, she can smell the tang of blood and that has tears springing to her eyes. 

  


"Stop it. Pull yourself together, Verity," she tells herself as she grips the wheel tighter. "He's still around. Give him a couple days and you can talk to him soon."

  


Her fingers peel off of the wheel as she lets herself slump in the driver's seat. She pulls out her phone with a shivering hand and finds the last message that Joey sent: a selfie with a taco truck. ' _ You think the Vagos want a business partner?' _

  


"Fuck. Baby, of all the people, it shouldn't have been you. You just had to leave the nest, didn't you?" She closes the message and wipes her eyes, takes a few deep breaths to try to calm down, and pointedly pushes away that little bit of jealousy rising in her gut. 

  


"No time for that either." She dials Easton's number and shifts the car back into drive, silently cursing as the line rings and rings. "Of all the times for you not to answer. Easton, you bastard. Pick up your phone!"

  


She hangs up and dials again, swerving to avoid a mailbox. It rings and rings and rings and nothing. "Easton, you  _ fuck _ ." 

  


She throws her phone in the passenger seat and grips the wheel tighter, pulling a corner and silently hoping that he's where she thinks he is.

  


She pulls up to Easton's safehouse and everything's dark. It's barely standing and it's in the worst part of town, but it's Easton's. Verity's throwing her door open and running up to bang on the door, hoping for something, anything. She waits and waits, but there's just silence.

  


With no other options, she feels along the doorframe until she finds the spare key she knows it tucked up there. She lets herself in, figuring she will wait for Easton to get back or, at least, have some place to stay for the night. 

  


What she isn't expecting is a blade to her throat as soon as she opens the door.

  


"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you?"

  


"Because I'm Verity St. James."

  


"Shit. Verity?" The light flicks on, illuminating a battered, rumpled Easton.

  


A once over has Verity leaning against the doorframe with a huff. "Don't tell me something happened to you, too."

  


"I just got back from a hunt. What do you mean, "me, too"? What's going on?" Easton takes off his glasses and rubs at his eyes. "What the fuck  _ happened _ tonight, Verity?"

  


"Baby's been bitten."

  


" _ What? _ ' 

  


She has to catch Easton before he throws himself out the door and into her car. "Stop. Stop. Stop. June and Cross are taking care of him. They're calling Eddie. There's nothing we can do, Easton. There's nothing we can do."

  


The last part sounds like she's telling herself more than Easton. 

  


"You want me to just fucking sit here, Verity?"

  


"Yes, Easton, I do. If you go over there, you're just going to be a tempting meal. That's why I'm not there taking care of our Baby right now." Verity won't meet his eyes, instead looking over the blood spatters on Easton's shirt and the weapons still strapped to him. 

  


"Then why are you  _ here _ ?"

  


"To keep you from jumping the gun and killing him and...because I needed someone to stay with tonight." 

  


"Really, out of all the things you've seen, Verity, this is what's getting to you?"

  


"Don't act like you don't care, Easton." She storms over to get up in his face, digging her fingers into his shirt. "One of our own was bitten and turned and there was nothing we could do about it. We told Baby we were going to protect him, we were supposed to show him the good parts of the city, but he's barely been here a year and we already let some asshole get their fangs in him. I told him I'd take care of him."

  


The fight drains out of her, leaving her to cling to Easton's shirt to keep herself up.

  


"You tried, but we sure as fuck can't do anything about it now. You can sleep on the couch and when it's light and the bloodsuckers fuck off, you can take me right to where you picked him up and we'll figure out who got our Baby Driver." Easton slowly prys Verity's fingers from his shirt and points her towards the couch in the tiny living room. "I'll be right back. Don't touch anything."

  


Verity's left there on the musty couch. She wrinkles her nose at the overflowing ashtray on the coffee table and rubs her thumb over the multiple cigarette burns under her. She's trying to read the labels on several toppled liquor bottles when Easton comes back with a cigarette dangling from his lips. 

  


He throws a blanket and a flat pillow at her and turns to disappear to the back of the house. "Bathroom's right here. Do whatever and get to sleep. Daylight's coming quick and I want to get there before anyone else fucks with the scene."

  


And then he's gone, again, leaving her to decide if it's even worth getting comfortable for what's basically a nap.

  


~~**~~

  


"Did he have his gear on him?"

  


They're where they found Joey last night. The same blood smears and abandoned junk looking less horrifying in the sunlight. Easton's been snooping around like a dog trying to catch a scent, but Verity knows this was just the place they dumped Joey; nothing to find here.

  


"I don't know, Easton. I barely saw him, we were more concerned about getting him home."

  


"Come on, Verity. I need  _ something _ . He wanted me to train him, I told him to always have his shit on him, and I need to know if someone made sure he couldn't fight back." Easton paces back and forth, kicking the blood smeared dumpster. "I need to know if someone fucking  _ knew _ or if this was random. I care about Baby, don't doubt that, but I also need to know if the rest of us have a big ass target on our backs."

  


"That's what you're worried about? Gangs?"

  


"Yes, Verity, I would like to keep walking around without having to worry about even more assholes trying to sink their teeth in my neck or yours or Grant's or even staking good old Cross…" Almost as if on cue, Easton digs through his pockets and pulls out his cigarettes and lighter, lighting up as he paces around. "Don't fucking question me for looking out for our own."

  


"Easton, st-" before Verity can finish, her phone starts ringing.

  


"Hello?"

  


"We found something." It's Cross. Thank God it was Cross. "There was a note in Baby's pocket."

  


"A note? So this wasn't random." Verity goes still, her mind racing now to figure out who would  _ want _ to do this.

  


"No. They wanted to warn us. Threaten us. And it sure is a threat." Verity can practically hear Cross rolling his eyes as he clears his throat to read: " _ Bottom bitches need to learn their place. Too much ambition gets you killed. _ " Whoever this was either didn't like that Joey wants to make a name for himself or that we're boosting our numbers."

  


"Cross, did he have any of his hunting stuff on him?"

  


"No. Just a pistol and a couple dozen bullets."

  


Verity's quiet for a long time, running through all the possibilities and doubts. "Cross...be honest. How is he?"

  


"...He's in more pain than he could ever imagine. But we're keeping him fed. He's going to make it. He's a fighter, you know that." His voice is rough, but it's enough to comfort Verity at least a little.

  


The tension bleeds from her shoulders. "Good. Good. As long as he's okay."

  


"He's going to have to adjust to being a vampire, but we'll show him the ropes."

  


"I know you guys will. Take care of him and let me know as soon as I can see him, okay?"

  


"Okay."

  


"Bye, Cross. Be safe."

  


"Take care of yourself and keep an eye on Easton."

  


"You know I always do."

  


Verity hangs up and stalks over to grab Easton by his stupid, oversized coat to drag him back towards the car. "Easton, there's nothing here for us."

  


"What?" Easton's too stunned to fight her off.

  


"That was Cross. They found a note on Joey and he was missing his gear just like you thought."

  


"Just  _ great _ . Time to ask around, then?"

  


"I've been meaning to dust off the old reporter's hat."

  


~~**~~

  


"I know my ma said I'd end up with a new set of pearly whites before thirty, like my old man, but I don't think she meant it like this," Joey says as he peers in the bathroom mirror. Cross said this was a new addition, so he can actually see himself in the glass.

  


He grins at his reflection, probing at his new fangs with his tongue and shifting his jaw to feel the way his teeth slide together. They're different now, not the same as before, and it feels wrong every time he closes his mouth and lets his teeth clack together. Like he stole someone else's body.

  


"They're worth the pain of watching the old ones fall out...and spitting up blood for a couple hours, right?" Cross asks, leaning against the doorframe to watch. His mask is gone while it's just the three of them in the house and it's weird to see his fangs peek out around his words.

  


"I guess. Man, I wish any of yous would have warned me about that before. Ya know, I think I've had this nightmare a couple a times." Joey's eyes shift in the mirror to catch Cross's, his expression going wry.

  


"Welcome to every day being a nightmare."

  


"Stop being edgy, Cross!" Is called from somewhere else in the house and both of them roll their eyes. 

  


"Hey, stop eavesdropping will ya?! I'm all healed up, you don't have to stay, June." Joey yells right back.

  


"And let you eat sweet, perfect Eddie when he gets here to feed you like a stray? Not a fucking chance, bucko." June says, appearing behind Cross, looking disheveled and tired.

  


"You really think I'd eat him?"

  


"Obviously. You're fresh out of the womb, you haven't even looked at someone with blood yet and you're saying you'd be fine? Uh huh. Sure." June crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at him. "Being cocky like that's going to get a lot of people killed."

  


"Nah. I'll figure it out. No killing people. Not really my style, you know?" Joey shrugs, looking perfectly relaxed. "You said food was coming?"

  


" _ Eddie's _ coming with food. Keep your fangs out of him or I'll take a bite out of you." June storms into the bathroom so she can jam her finger into Joey's chest. 

  


~~**~~

  


"Please, can I see him, Cross? Or at least see you?" Verity slumps to the floor of Easton's bathroom. He's off  _ somewhere _ and the loneliness started to feel oppressive. "It's been three days and the last look I got of the people I care about was them covered in blood. That isn't such a good image for a lady's sanity."

  


"Tomorrow. I promise. You know the process takes a couple days. We've talked about it enough…"

  


"I know. I know, Edward. Just...knowing how long it takes and living through it are two different things." Verity clutches her phone tighter, wanting the comfort of someone else being there. 

  


"You're telling me." Cross sighs. "This was a rough transformation, too. He didn't want this and his body fought back  _ hard _ . He's acting like he's fine, but he's drinking a lot and we can see the exhaustion."

  


"We'll be careful when we visit and I know you'll keep him in check." Verity can't help but laugh. "I know how protective you can be."

  


"Just point out whoever needs taken care of."

  


"Oh, Cross, keep talking like that and I might have to find someone for you to...handle for me."

  


"Think of someone tonight and tell me tomorrow."

  


"Aw, how sweet of you. Can't wait to see you all again tomorrow."

  


"Uh huh."

  


"Love you, Cross. Bye."

  


"...You, too. Bye."

  


~~**~~

  


"So, I toss some of my kit on certain jobs, so what?" Baby shrugs, tracking Easton with his eyes. "Unlike you, I actually want people to like me, maybe even trust me, ya know? Can't do that if they think I'm just there to wipe them out."

  


The safehouse suddenly seems a lot smaller with Easton and Verity there. Cross and June had immediately dragged Verity to sit on the ratty couch between them, but Easton had stayed on his feet, stalking around the living room like a predator. Or like a vamp out for blood. Joey can smell his anger, can hear his heart beating loud in his chest with fury, and it's the least enticing thing he's encountered. Their loud leader radiates certain death.

  


Easton stops in his tracks to fix Joey with a hard look. "So you  _ were _ doing a job for vamps.  _ Who _ ? There's no point in hiding it now, Joey, it's obvious they don't want to work with you anymore, so cough it up."

  


"I'm not a narc, Easton. Never have been, never will be." Joey rolls eyes, actually offended at the idea.

  


"This isn't you being a snitch, this is you protecting your own.  _ Unless you've suddenly decided to be loyal to a bunch of leeches who hurt you. _ " Easton sneers at him, baring his teeth the same way a lot of vamps bare their fangs. "You're not going to betray us, are you?"

  


"Fuck off, Easton," Joey shoves him. His new strength slips his mind, though, and he sends Easton to the floor. 

  


Easton's on his feet as quick as he can, a wickedly sharp knife in his hand. "You little fuck. I should end you right here. One less bloodsucker for me to watch out for."

  


"Ey. Ey, easy there. I didn't mean it, man. I'm getting used to the muscles here. Didn't want to hurt you, boss." Joey's hands come up in a hurry, trying his best to placate the hunter coming straight for him.

  


"You sure?"

  


"Real fucking sure." Joey glances at the knife coming for his neck.

  


"How do I know?"

  


"I'll squeal, alright? I'm less employable now, anyway. The last thing I remember I was gathering some info for the Vipers. I got the last of it that night and was supposed to turn it in. I don't remember if I made it to the Snake Pit or not."

  


"Those dirty fucking  _ bikers _ ."

  


"Wait, we don't know for sure." That's Verity, the only one brave enough to leap off the couch and try to stop Easton from storming out.

  


"Oh, I know for sure and I'm going to prove. They were done with Joey and did this as a message to us. They know I fucking hate them and I'm not letting them pull bullshit like this." Easton's face is curled up with so much disgust that he doesn't look human.

  


"Don't be in such a rush to get yourself killed."

  



End file.
